


Stories and Each Other

by sapphic_ambitions



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Coming Out, Flint is the Father Figure Eleanor Deserves, Flinthamilton mentioned, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:49:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25523140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphic_ambitions/pseuds/sapphic_ambitions
Summary: A young Eleanor comes out to Captain Flint and learns the importance of wlw/mlm solidarity.
Relationships: Captain Flint | James McGraw & Eleanor Guthrie
Comments: 10
Kudos: 77





	Stories and Each Other

**Author's Note:**

> I've taken some artistic liberties with Flint's backstory lmao

Flint didn’t know that he would ever get used to pulling his ship into Nassau. Even after... what was it, two years? Three? Either way, he wasn’t sure he would ever truly get used to the sounds of the crew whooping and hollering as the sight of their home came over the horizon. Wouldn’t get used to the morning smells of Nassau as they approached on long boats. Wouldn’t get used to the sand beneath his boots as he stepped onto the land. He wouldn’t get used to it because he  _ couldn’t  _ get used to it. He had to remind himself constantly that nothing about “Captain Flint” and his life was permanent, it was all just a means to an end. 

So he wouldn’t get used to it and he wouldn’t  _ settle _ into it. He kept an invisible wall up between him and the rest of the pirate world, so he wouldn’t grow too attached. 

Even as he gave orders to Mr. Gates about what to do with their latest haul, he barely looked his Quartermaster in the eye. Instead he was looking inland, past the tavern and the brothel to where he knew Miranda would be waiting for him. 

Gates definitely saw the far off look in Flint’s eyes, because he rolled his own and shook his head. “We’ve got this under control Captain, go on to wherever it is you’re going,”

Gates didn’t know about Miranda, didn’t know the  _ full  _ details about Miranda. He just knew that Flint had a lady further inland that he visited every time they were at port. That was all he needed to know, because the truth was complicated and messy and made Flint’s chest ache. And it wasn’t that he was hiding..... It wasn’t that he was hiding  _ Thomas _ because he was  _ ashamed _ of his past or for loving him, but because he really didn’t want Gates to doubt his motives. Didn’t want Gates to know that Captain Flint was only a temporary fixture until he got his revenge. So he simply nodded at his quartermaster and strode off the beach.

But there was one stop he had to make first.

It was customary for returning pirate captains to make their presence known to the operator of the island upon arriving on the shore. It was more of pleasantry than a formality. More about keeping in good graces with the Guthrie in charge than it was about any official business. Which, Flint didn’t really mind. He showed up at the tavern for ten minutes and engaged in polite small talk and then went about his way. It was never even really that big of a hassle or even a chore, just something you got used to.

Well, not  _ used to _ used to, just, you know. Used to.

It was no surprise to see the Tavern busy and bustling with people, even though the sun was barely over the horizon, and none of them paid any attention to Flint as he pushed through the doors and strode through the tables to his destination. A few scruffy looking men (who he recognized as members of Vane’s crew) glared at him as he passed, but ultimately they didn’t even look twice at him. That was the power he had, under the name of Captain Flint. That was the fear and respect he’d earned through his own blood lust and violence.

He told himself not to get used to it. 

He pushed through the office doors of the tavern, expecting to see the Master of the House waiting for him, but there was... no one. One might think that this office being empty wouldn’t be unusual, but in the past few years that he’s been coming to this office, he has never once not been greeted by an over eager and fierce Eleanor Guthrie. 

Eleanor couldn’t be older than twenty. She still had the hints of roundfull youth in her cheeks and jawline, but a sharpness in her eyes that made up for it. For assuming a position of power so young, she handled it well. Flint had never once doubted her, and often found himself secretly amused by her. She tried  _ so hard _ to be the tough girl she thought she needed to be in oder to be the head of Nassau, and honestly, it paid off. She was good at what she did, and she had Flint’s respect, even though they probably started at the same time. Began their descent into pirate madness around the same time. Flint had arrived in Nassau only a few months after Eleanor’s rise to power, and he’d heard the stories of her ferocity long before he met her as a pirate captain. He would even dare to say that they respected each other.

So her office being empty immediately raised a red flag in Flint’s mind. He quickly and quietly shut the door behind him, drawing his pistol. With careful footsteps, he began sweeping the room, working clockwise and checking every shadowy place. He looked under the desk and on the balcony and even in the plants for a hint of struggle or blood or anything that might clue him in on where the young woman might have disappeared to. And as he began moving throughout the room, he heard something, something soft and unmistakable.

Crying.

He zoned in on the location of the noise, from inside the storage closet in the very corner of the room, and moved quicker than before over to it. He braced himself for the sight of blood and open wounds and bruises, and then threw open the closet door. 

And there, with her knees pulled up to her chest, sat young Eleanor Guthrie. When Flint flung the door open, she startled, cutting off her own sob and her eyes going wide. Flint kneeled next to her quickly and searched her face for some kind of cut or bruise. But, no, there wasn’t a hair out of place on her head. The only thing that looked vaguely amiss on her was that her lipstick was smudged. All at once, Flint’s gut sank as the  _ worst _ flashed through his mind.

“Captain Flint,” Eleanor said, wiping her tears away with the heel of her hand. “I’m sorry, I- I didn’t know you were coming-”

“What happened?” Flint asked, trying not to expose the rage that was bubbling in his chest. 

She shook her head. “Nothing, I’m fine,”

“Eleanor,” Flint pushed. “What  _ happened _ ?”

Her bottom lip trembled. “I said I’m  _ fine _ , Captain,”

“Who did this to you?”

“No one-”

“Eleanor, tell me who hurt you and you won’t have to worry about them again,”

Eleanor blinked at him in confusion, and shook her head. “No, no one hurt me,”

It was Flint’s turn to blink. “Well, clearly,” He gestured to her, “Something happened,”

Her bottom lip trembled again, and she looked down. “I can’t tell you,”

Flint’s scowl softened. She just looked so...  _ frightened _ . She was still so young, still had so much to learn and had no father or mother to guide her. He sighed, and leaned back on his heels. “Eleanor, I’m here to help you,” He said, trying to sound as genuine as he felt. “Whatever it is, you can tell me,”

She pulled her knees closer to her chest, a wild look in her eyes. “No, I  _ can’t _ ,”

“You can trust me-”

“Flint,  _ please _ -”

“I swear it, Eleanor-”

“My father’s told me they  _ hang _ men for this, so what would they do to a woman?!” Eleanor finally blurted out, and then her eyes nearly popped out of her skull and she slapped her hand over her mouth. 

Flint’s eyebrows shot up. 

The last time he.....

The last time he heard someone use that phrase...

_ They hang men for this. _

“Oh,” He exhaled softly.

Eleanor started crying again. 

Flint opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Opened it again, trying to find the words... and then closed it again. 

He realized he was still holding his pistol, so he dropped it and pushed it across the floor, Eleanor watching it with wide eyes the whole time, trying to make herself smaller against the floor. 

Slowly and without sudden movements, Flint dropped back to a more comfortable position on the floor, resting his back against the wall and stretching out his legs in front of him. He could tell that she was holding her breath, curled up tightly into herself and full of tension, waiting for a judgement from him, waiting for him to say something, anything.

He bit his lip.

He sighed.

And he let the invisible wall he’d worked so hard to keep up come crumbling down.

“My first kiss was with a boy named Michael,”

He didn’t think it was possible for Eleanor’s eyes to get wider, but they nearly popped out of their sockets, and he couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. 

“I was, oh, I had to have been no older than thirteen? He lived next door to me and we were friends. He told me that he wanted to  _ practice kissing _ ,” The corners of Flint’s mouth twisted upwards, remembering his childhood friend. “He kissed me in an alleyway one night. Said he  _ needed _ to practice kissing so he’d be good at it when it came time to kiss girls, so I did it. And it was fine, didn’t ruin our friendship or anything. He started seeing a girl not long after, but I never really got over it,” He leaned his head back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. “That was the moment I knew I was different from the other boys. That I  _ fancied _ boys,”

He rolled his head over to look at Eleanor who had....  _ slightly _ relaxed. 

So he kept talking.

“Then there was Phillip, who actually wanted to kiss me, so that was a step up from Michael. But God, he was an  _ ass _ . A very good kisser, but just the worst. Didn’t last long,  _ because he was an ass _ , but that was fine with me. That was when I was about sixteen? Then I had a bit of dry spell from there,” He chuckled, and Eleanor’s shoulders lost their tension.

Progress.

He propped one of his legs up and rested his elbow on his knee, his hand playing absentmindedly with his beard. “Then when I was about your age, I enrolled in the naval academy, and you’d be surprised at how many men in the navy fancy other men,” He chuckled, and saw the hint of a smile tugging at Eleanor’s lips. “It was all in secret, of course, but there was no shortage of men who were looking for company at night. I mean, I mostly kept a low profile and to myself, but I had my fun, too, over the years,” 

He grinned and sighed, getting lost in the memories of his past. “Carlton was fun. Joshua wasn’t that bad either, for a couple of nights. Nicholas was kind of a nightmare, but that one was more my fault than anything. And don’t even get me started on  _ Samuel _ or we’ll be here all day,” He said, looking over at Eleanor, who was listening intently. 

“And then,” He said, looking away and drawing in a deep breath. “There was  _ Thomas _ ,”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eleanor shift so that her knees were no longer clutched to her chest, but instead her legs were crossed in front of her, relaxed and leaning forward. He could physically feel the sense of relief rush through him that she was no longer cowering in fear. If the stories of his past helped her, he was willing to tell them.

“Thomas was....” He sighed, chest aching. The wound was still fresh and sore. “Thomas was the love of my life,” He said, the words spilling out before he had the chance to really think about them. “Being with him unlocked a part of me I didn’t know existed. I understood myself better through Thomas’ love. And it was _ love _ , unlike anything I’d ever known before. Everyone else before him couldn’t compare in the slightest, not even remotely. They were all child’s play compared to the love I felt with Thomas. He was just... the most incredible person I’ve ever known in my whole life. He was a  _ good _ man who wanted to accomplish great things and I...” He sighed deeply, staring off into the memories of his lost love. “I loved him. More than anything. More than I will ever love anyone again,”

“What happened to him?” Eleanor’s voice was soft, and Flint turned his head to see her looking expectantly at him. She looked like a little kid, waiting for the end of the love story where the two of them rode off into the sunset and lived happily ever after. 

And he so desperately wished he could tell her that story.

“Not everything is meant to work out, I’m afraid,” He said, feeling his throat tightening. He couldn’t tell her the truth. She still held all the power in Nassau and he didn’t want her doubting his motives anymore than he didn’t want Gates doubting his motives. And even if he  _ could _ tell her, he didn’t know that he had the strength to convey the depths of his agony or the truth of what happened to the love of his life and how he didn’t stop it. 

Eleanor must have seen something flicker across his face, because she scooted towards him, out of the closet, until her knee knocked into his. He looked up and found her expression to be kind and soft. A gentle smile, like it was  _ her _ turn to comfort  _ him _ . 

“I kissed Catherine,” She confessed. 

“Catherine?” Flint’s brow furrowed, “Isn’t she-”

“One of the whores in the brothel?” Eleanor blushed. “Yes. And she’s a  _ very _ good kisser,”

Flint burst out laughing, an honest laugh, and Eleanor grinned, pleased with herself.

“What happened between the two of you?” Flint asked. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I’m here to listen,”

Eleanor tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was at the brothel to deal with the Madam last night, and Catherine invited me up for a drink since it was a slow night for her. We had a few drinks, and were sprawled out on the bed in the room. I thought she looked pretty in the candle light so I just... kissed her. And she kissed me back,” 

“How did it feel?” Flint asked, remembering the first time Thomas kissed him. He could still picture the flickering candle light, could still feel the rush in his chest from kissing him.

Eleanor blushed, her lips trying desperately to not curl up into a smile. “It was nice. It was more than nice. It was lovely,”

“So, then, why were you crying?” He asked, gently knocking his knee against hers.

Eleanor suddenly found her hands in her lap very interesting. “Well I woke up this morning and it all just  _ hit me _ , what I’d done last night, and I sort of... got worked up about it. Talked myself into thinking that I’d done something...  _ wrong _ . I had a hard time breathing. I thought my heart was gonna beat out of my chest. I sat in there,” She said, gesturing back to the closet, “So I could sit and get myself back under control, and then you showed up,”

Flint’s heart  _ ached _ for her. 

But he understood what she was going through. 

“Eleanor,” He said, leaning forward and clasping her hand with his own. “You’ve done nothing wrong. Nothing sinful. Nothing  _ shameful. _ Do you understand?”

She nodded her head, looking very much like she was trying not to cry again. 

“And if anyone ever gives you shit for it, just kick their ass,”

Eleanor laughed wetly, and wiped her eyes. “Aye, aye, Captain,” 

Flint leaned back against the wall again, and sighed. “We have to stick together, you know. Those of us who are like minded in matters of the heart,” He said. “We have to look out for each other. No one else will,”

“Are there a lot of people like us?” She asked, genuinely.

Flint exhaled. “More than one would think, for sure. Most of us stay close to the shadows. It’s the only place that’s safe for us to be. But they’re there, if you know where to look for them. They’re often in candle light,” He said, winking at her.

She laughed, and swatted at his leg, and he couldn’t help but laugh with her. 

“Thank you,” Eleanor said once they’d settled down. “For sharing your stories with me,”

“Stories are all we have,” He shrugged.

“And each other,”

“Stories and each other,” He echoed back to her. He patted her knee gently. “You’re going to be just fine, Miss Guthrie,”

“You really think so?” She asked, and he nodded.

“I know so,” 

Eleanor drew in a very deep breath and then exhaled slowly. She nodded, and then stood up off the floor. She dusted off her skirt, and then held her hand out to Flint. “Come, Captain. Shall we discuss your latest haul?”

And with a grin, Flint took her hand. “We shall,”


End file.
